RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Pomona, California · Updated October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Railroad museumFreeOpen free the second weekend of each month, 10 am to 5 pm, and daily during the LA County Fair in May

RailGiants Train Museum at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona preserves some of the largest locomotives that ever ran in Southern California, including two of the four surviving three-cylinder steam engines, and for 52 years it was the home of Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014.

  • Free on second weekends, 10 to 5
  • Two of four surviving three-cylinder steamers
  • Former home of Big Boy No. 4014
  • Climb into locomotive cabs
  • 1895 Santa Fe depot from Arcadia
  • Volunteer run since 1954

RailGiants Train Museum at a glance

Hours
Second weekend of each month, 10 am to 5 pm; daily during the LA County Fair in May
Admission
Free on open weekends; during the County Fair, entry is included with Fair admission
Seasonal events
Los Angeles County Fair exhibit, Open House Weekends, Monthly Rail Meetings
Plan for
About 1 to 2 hours
Best for
Families with young climbers and steam fans
Best ages
Ages 3 and up
Parking
Ample parking at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, off McKinley Ave

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to RailGiants Train Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Pomona.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

Seventy years of saving Southern California's biggest engines

RailGiants is the work of the Southern California Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society. The national society, founded in 1921, calls itself the oldest organization in North America devoted to railroad history. In the spring of 1953 a small group of railroad historians met in a home to start a local chapter, and on June 5, 1953 it became official.

The exhibit at the fairgrounds opened in 1954 with a single locomotive, Climax geared engine No. 3, donated by Sunkist Growers. Over the following decades the chapter added seven more locomotives, a heavyweight Pullman lounge, a wooden Santa Fe caboose, a refrigerator car, a Santa Fe horse express car and two track motor cars. In the summer of 1969 the chapter received the Santa Fe depot from Arcadia. Built in 1895, it had watched Santa Fe's finest trains pass every day until the 210 Freeway made it obsolete, and it would have been torn down if it had not moved.

The museum's most famous chapter belongs to Big Boy No. 4014. Volunteers here cared for the Union Pacific giant for 52 years after its retirement, then returned it to Union Pacific for restoration. On May 4, 2019 it steamed again between Ogden, Utah and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The collection keeps growing: on February 26, 2020 Union Pacific caboose No. 25392 arrived from Spirit of Freedom Park, a gift of the City of Montclair moved with help from a Union Pacific Foundation grant. After closing in March 2020 for the pandemic, the museum renovated and reopened in May 2022.

Stairways up into the cabs of true rail giants

On open house weekends you can walk all around the locomotives and cars, and climb stairways into the cabs to see where engineers and firemen worked. The headliners are Union Pacific No. 9000, a 4-12-2 described as the largest non-articulated steam locomotive, and Southern Pacific No. 5021, a 4-10-2. They are two of only four three-cylinder steam locomotives left. Nearby sits a Union Pacific Centennial, the largest diesel locomotive, and Santa Fe No. 3450, a steam engine built for speeds over 100 miles per hour.

The 1895 Arcadia depot is the center of museum life, with the RailGiants Store, library and archives inside. Around it are freight and passenger cars, cabooses including the newest addition, UP No. 25392, and the little Climax No. 3 that started it all. The chapter also runs the Fairplex Garden Railway, a G scale garden layout.

Don’t miss

  1. Union Pacific No. 9000A 4-12-2 three-cylinder steam locomotive, one of only four three-cylinder engines that survive and billed as the largest non-articulated steam locomotive.
  2. Southern Pacific No. 5021A 4-10-2 and the museum's second three-cylinder engine, among the sole survivors of its class.
  3. Union Pacific CentennialThe largest diesel locomotive type, a true rail giant parked beside the steamers.
  4. Santa Fe No. 3450A Santa Fe steam engine built for speeds over 100 miles per hour.
  5. The Arcadia depotAn 1895 Santa Fe station saved from the 210 Freeway in 1969, now home to the store, library and archives.
  6. Climax No. 3The geared logging locomotive donated by Sunkist Growers that opened the exhibit in 1954.

Climbing into cabs and blowing whistles

This is a place where kids are invited to climb. Stairways lead up into the giant locomotive cabs, and visitors describe blowing the whistles and spending time in the cabs with docents who know the engines well. Admission is free, so a short visit with little ones costs nothing.

Everything is outdoors at the fairgrounds, so bring hats and water in warm months. Small children need a hand on the cab stairs, and the scale of these engines impresses even toddlers watching from the ground.

Plan your visit: tips for RailGiants Train Museum

  • Check the Event Schedule page: as of October 2026 the next open weekends are October 10 and 11 and November 14 and 15.
  • The museum is closed when its open Sunday falls on Easter.
  • Donations are optional but pay for the care of the equipment.
  • Call (909) 623-0190 to arrange a visit on a non-open day or for filming.

R&LHS volunteers keep the giants looking sharp

RailGiants is owned and run by volunteers of the Southern California Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, with more than 80 volunteers involved. They need docents, mechanics and mechanics in training, depot store shopkeepers, librarians and data entry help, and the only requirement is R&LHS membership and a willingness to pitch in. Donations, store purchases (including pieces associated with Big Boy No. 4014) and memberships all help.

More Southern California rail stops

The Fullerton Train Museum is about 17 miles away. About 30 miles west in Griffith Park, Travel Town Museum and Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn make an easy pairing. For more, browse all train museums in California.

Every train museum in California

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of a dad lifting Rally the corgi up the big stairs of a red train car
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

At RailGiants, the stairways up into the cabs are tall, and these locomotives are some of the biggest ever built. I can just see a small kid looking up and taking a deep breath. Rally has that same moment in our book: his corgi legs are too short for the train steps, so Dad lifts him up. Some climbs go better with a boost. Kids can color that page from our coloring pages.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Work or volunteer at RailGiants Train Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

RailGiants Train Museum: 20 questions families ask

What are the RailGiants Train Museum hours?

As of October 2026, RailGiants is open the second weekend of each month, Saturday and Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. The next listed open weekends are October 10 and 11 and November 14 and 15. In May it is open every day of the Los Angeles County Fair. Check the Event Schedule page on railgiants.org for changes.

How much does RailGiants Train Museum cost?

Admission to RailGiants is always free on its open house weekends. Donations are optional but welcome, and they help pay for the care of the historic equipment. During the Los Angeles County Fair, you need a Fair ticket to get in, but there is no extra charge to see RailGiants once inside.

Where is RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California?

RailGiants is inside the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, also known as Fairplex, just off McKinley Avenue in Pomona. The mailing address is 1101 W McKinley Ave, Pomona, CA 91768. The museum says ample parking is available on its open weekends, and its website has a map and directions page.

Was Big Boy No. 4014 at RailGiants Train Museum?

Yes. The Southern California Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society preserved and cared for Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 at RailGiants for 52 years after its retirement. The museum returned it to Union Pacific, which moved it out in late 2013 for restoration, and it steamed again on May 4, 2019.

Where is Big Boy 4014 now?

Big Boy No. 4014 is back with Union Pacific as an operating steam locomotive. After restoration, it returned to its old rails between Ogden, Utah and Cheyenne, Wyoming on May 4, 2019. RailGiants hopes to see it travel more of the Union Pacific system. A 2002 KCET program still shows the engine at the museum.

Can I buy parts of Big Boy 4014 from RailGiants?

The museum says items connected to Big Boy No. 4014 are sold through the RailGiants Store in Pomona and can also be ordered on its website. The store is in the historic Arcadia depot and is open during open house weekends. Proceeds help the volunteer chapter care for its collection.

Who owns RailGiants Train Museum?

RailGiants is owned and maintained by the Southern California Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, a chapter organized on June 5, 1953. The national society, founded in 1921, is the oldest organization in North America devoted to railroad history. The museum sits on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.

Which locomotives are at RailGiants Train Museum?

The collection includes Union Pacific No. 9000, a 4-12-2, and Southern Pacific No. 5021, a 4-10-2, which are two of the four surviving three-cylinder steam locomotives. There is also a Union Pacific Centennial diesel, Santa Fe No. 3450 and Climax geared engine No. 3, along with passenger cars, freight cars and cabooses.

Can you go inside the locomotives at RailGiants?

Yes. On open house weekends, visitors can walk around every locomotive and railcar and climb stairways into the cabs to see where engineers and firemen worked. Visitors also mention blowing the whistles and chatting with knowledgeable docents in the cabs. Help small children on the steep cab stairs.

Is RailGiants Train Museum good for kids?

Yes. Kids can climb into real locomotive cabs, and free admission makes it easy to keep the visit short for little ones. The engines are huge and fun to explore, and the volunteer docents enjoy answering questions. Everything is outdoors at the fairgrounds, so bring sun protection on hot days.

Can you ride a train at RailGiants Train Museum?

RailGiants is a static display, so there are no train rides on the big equipment. The chapter does run the Fairplex Garden Railway, a G scale garden railroad that operates on set days and is a highlight during the Los Angeles County Fair. Check the Event Schedule for garden railway days.

Is RailGiants open during the Los Angeles County Fair?

Yes. RailGiants is part of the Los Angeles County Fair and is open every day the Fair runs. As of October 2026, the 2026 Fair ran from May 7 to May 31 and was closed some weekdays. You must buy Fair admission to enter, but there is no added fee for RailGiants.

What is the Arcadia depot at RailGiants?

It is the former Santa Fe station from Arcadia, California, built in 1895 and given to the chapter in the summer of 1969, when the 210 Freeway made it obsolete. Moved to the fairgrounds to save it, the depot is now the center of museum activities, with the gift shop, library and archives.

Does RailGiants have a gift shop?

Yes. The RailGiants Store in the Arcadia depot sells train souvenirs during open house weekends, and the store also takes orders online. Subscribers to the museum's email list get news of new arrivals, discounts and special archive sales.

How long should I spend at RailGiants Train Museum?

Most families can see the collection in about one to two hours, longer if you climb into every cab or browse the library and store. Because admission is free, it is easy to drop in for a shorter visit with young children. The museum is open 10 am to 5 pm on open weekends.

Can I visit RailGiants on a day it is not open?

Possibly. To arrange a visit on a day the museum is not normally open, or for television or film work, send a message through the Contact Us page on railgiants.org or call the museum depot at (909) 623-0190. The contact form includes a special tour request option.

How do I volunteer at RailGiants Train Museum?

RailGiants needs docents, mechanics and mechanics in training, depot store shopkeepers, librarians and data entry help. The only qualifications are membership in the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society and a desire to help. Call the depot at (909) 623-0190 or stop by on an open weekend.

Was RailGiants Train Museum on Huell Howser?

Yes. RailGiants appeared on Visiting with Huell Howser, episode 1015, first broadcast on KCET in the summer of 2002. The museum shares the episode as a vintage virtual tour, and it shows Big Boy No. 4014 when it was still on display, about a decade before it was chosen for restoration.

Where can I see RailGiants Train Museum photos and reviews?

The museum posts photos and news on its Facebook page and on X, and its website includes an Around the Museum section and a vintage video tour from KCET. Visitor reviews on sites like Yelp often mention climbing into cabs, blowing whistles and the helpful docents.

What train museums are near RailGiants Train Museum?

The Fullerton Train Museum is about 17 miles away. About 30 miles west in Griffith Park are Travel Town Museum, the Los Angeles Live Steamers, the Griffith Park & Southern Railroad and Walt Disney's Carolwood Barn. The Lomita Railroad Museum and Southern California Railway Museum in Perris are each under 40 miles.

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